Railway ballast grader



July 30, 1940. G. w. HUEY 2,209,732

RAILWAY BALLAST GRADER Filed March 6, 1959 v 6 Sheets-Sheet l RAILWAY BALLAST GRADER Filed March a, 19:59 a Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNEY.

July 30, 1940- G. w. HUEY I 2,209,732

RAILWAY BALLAST GRADER July 30, 1940- e. w. HUEY 2,209,732

' RAILWAY BALLAST GRADBR Filed March 6, 1959 s Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VEN TQR.

A TTORNEY.

Jul 30, 1940.

G. w. HUEY RAILWAY BALLAST GRADER Filed March 6, 1939 6 Sheets- She et 5 July30, 194.0. ca. w. HUEY RAILWAY BALLAST GRADER s sheets-sheet 6 Filed March 6, 1959- ATTORNEY.

Patented 1.1, so, 1940 nmwarnarms'r GBADER" George W. Huey, Frazeysburg, Ohio, assignor of one-fifth to Louis B. Wise, one-fifth to. John B.

Barker, one-fifth to Charles J. Wittlinger, vand one-fifth to George R. Haub,-all'of Zanesville,

Application March'6, 1939, Serial. No. 259,995 9 Claims. ((11. 97-104) My invention relates to apparatus for removing, cleaning and replacing the ballast of railroad tracks' One of the methods heretofore employed in the handling and cleaning of ballast consisted in the use of apparatus for pushing the ballast from between the ties to the ends thereof, at the sides of the track, by means of diggers or scrapers, the ballast then being conveyed upwardly and passed over a cleaning screen from whence it was returned to the roadlbed. l I

Another method involved the picking up of ballast from between the ties and the rails, pushing the ballast from the ends of the ties toward the middle of the track, which was also then picked up, the ballast being passed over a cleaning screen and then returned to the roadbed.

The prior apparatus of the first-named type presented difliculty because it extended outwardly past the sides of the track and interfered with I the movement of trains on adjacent tracks. In the other type of apparatus the means for picking up the ballast from betweenthe ties was open to the objection that in cases where the ballast was packed tightly by reason of having been in use for a long time and being embedded in dirt,

the picking-up members could not function efiectively.

My invention has for one of' its objects the provision of ballast-removing means which can be operated mainly between the track rails, and which employs conveyer apparatus which will not only dig out and loosen ballast that is compacted between the ties, but which will also effectively cooperate with pushers that move the ballast from the ends of the ties toward the middle of the track, to engage and remove the ballast to screening apparatus, from whence it will be returned to the roadbed. Another object of my invention is to provide ballast-removing apparatus of I such character that the subgrade is given a slope in each direction from the middle of the track towards the ends of the ties, so as to provide for drainage.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view thereof Fig. 3 is a view taken onvthe line III'IIIof Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line IV-'-IV of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is an enlarged view taken on the line VV of Fig. l, and showing a portion of the driving mechanism for the conveyers; Fig. 6 is a front view showing one of the conveyers; Fig. 8 shows a side view thereof in section; Fig. 9 is a -journalled in a bearing 21. A

viewtaken on the line rx-Ix of'Fig. a, and Fig. 10 isa view showing the manner in which the T buckets are mounted on the conveyer chains. I

The apparatus" comprises a carriage which has side frames 12 that carry bearings for a rear axlel3 and a front axle I4, that in tum carry wheels by which the apparatus can be moved along the track rails.' Upper frame members I5,

.Hi and H are supported by the side frame members I 2. 0

An engine I8, preferably of the internal combustion type, is mounted upon the truck and provides power not onlyfortraveling movement of the truck along the railroad track, but also serves as a source of power for the moving parts of 15 the mechanism. The motor transmits power through-a clutch which is operated by a handle IS. The power shaft of the motor 3 is connected by a coupling member to a driving gear 2| disposedwithin a speed-reducing housing 22. 20 The gear 2| meshes with a large gear 23 which is provided integrallywith a small pinion-24, that meshes with a gear 25.- The gear 25 is mounted on a shaft .26, which extends forwardly and is clutch 26a (Fig. 1) 25 is provided for the shaft' 26. Y K

Also meshing with the gear 23 is a pinion'28 mounted on a shaft 29 that extends through the housing 22. On the rear of the shaft 29 is a gear 30 which is arranged to be connected and 30 I disconnected with the shaft 25 through a clutch mechanism 3|. The gear'30 meshes with a gear 32 whichis mounted upon a shaft 33 that carries on its-inner end abevel pinion 34 disposed within atransmission unit 35. A shaft '36 is 35 journalled in the transmission'housing and slidably carries -a pair of bevel gears 31, which through the medium of. a shifting fork 38 can be moved to bring either ofthe bevel gears into mesh with the bevel-pinion 34, whereby the shaft 40 36 can be rotated in opposite directions. Keyed upon the shaft 36 is a high speed gear 39 and a low speed gear 40. A shaft 4| is also journalled in the transmission housing-and slidably carries 'a pair of gears 42 and 43 which may be moved into engagement with the gear 39 and gear 40 respectively. A shifting fork 44 (Fig. 2) is provided, by means of which the gears 42tand 43 may be shifted... The shaft 4| also is suitably journalled'in lbearings' secured to. the side frames l2 andcarries a-gear 45 that meshes withla gear 46 secured to the ,axle l3. plan view of the apparatus of Fig; 5; Fig. '7 is a' It will -be seen that when it is desired to move the machine along-the railroad tracks, with the tor will disengage the clutch 3 I. Also the clutch 26a is disengaged so that the shaft 26 and the mechanism driven thereby, as hereinafter described, will be at rest. Thereupon, by actuating the shifting fork 44, the low speed gear 43 is moved into mesh with the gear 46. Also the shifting lever 38 will be manipulated to move one of the bevel gears 31 into mesh with the pinion 34, depending upon the desired direction of travel of the machine. whereupon the clutch 3| will be engaged and consequently power will be transmitted to the driving axle I3, through the low speed connections just described. If it is desired to employ the high speed drive, the operator actuates the clutch 3| to break the driving connections, whereupon he will then shift the gear 42 into mesh with the high speed gear 39.

A sprocket wheel is secured to the other end of the shaft 29 and is connected through a chain 41 to a sprocket secured on the shaft of a fluid compressor 48. A storage tank 49 is provided in conjunction with the compressor 48.

A U-shapecl frame or beam 56 is pivotally connected at 5| to the upright frame members I5, and pivotally carries at its forward end hanger plates 52. The plates 52 support a pair of cross beams 53 that constitute a part of the conveyer frame. A pair of cross beams 54 is suspended from the beams 53 by means of a pair of conveyer-supporting beams, indicated generally by the numeral 55 (Fig. 8).

As shown more clearly in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, each conveyer-supporting beam 55 consists of a square tube 56, which at its upper end is provided with a pair of plates 51 through which extends a shaft 58, to which is secured a sprocket wheel 59. At opposite sides of the member 56 are disposed channels 66 that are connected together by bolts 6| which extend through elongated slots in the member 56. Connecting bolts 62 extend through the beams 53, through elongated slots in the members 66, and through the member 56. Similarly, connecting bolts 63 extend through the members 54, 56 and 66. A sprocket wheel 64 is mounted upon a shaft 65 that is carried by the lower ends of the channels 66.

The member 56 carries a cross bar 66 which extends through elongated slots in the members 66. Each of the channels 66 is provided with a pair of lugs 61 disposed at opposite sides of the cross member 66, and adjusting bolts 68, having screw threaded engagement with the lugs 61, have their extremities in clamping engagement with the cross member 66. It will be seen that upon loosening of the through bolts 62 and 63, and the bolts 6|, the adjusting screws 68 can be manipulated in order to effect movement of the member 56 relative to the channels 66, thus ef- The flanges of the members 66 serve as tracks for the conveyer buckets, to be here;

inafter described.

A conveyer chain 16 passes around each pair of sprockets 59-64, the chains carrying conveyer buckets 1| that are connected to the chain through brackets 12 which are connected to the chain links by pivots 13. The buckets carry digger teeth 14 for loosening and digging into the ballast so that it can be scooped into the buckets. The brackets 12 carry rollers 15 which roll along the track members 60. At their lower ends, the track members 66 are enlarged to arcuate shape to form cam surfaces 16, to efiect tilting or swinging of the buckets as they pass around the lower sprockets 64, the digger teeth of the buckets being initially moved perpendicularly into the ballast and the buckets then being swung about their pivotal connections 13 and then moved in an arcuate path through the ballast as they pass around the lower sprocket wheels 64. The buckets are held in an upright position during upward travel until the rollers 15 pass off the upper ends of the track members 66, whereupon the weight of the ballast in the buckets will cause the buckets to tilt and discharge the ballast into chutes 11. Continued upward movement of the buckets will bring the rollers 15 into engagement with cam segments 18 that are carried by the arms 51. The buckets are thereby brought again into alignment with the conveyer chains. As shown more clearly in Fig. 3, there are a pair of conveyers that discharge into the chutes 11 which are carried by the cross bar 53 at the sides of the mamine.

The shafts 58 are supported in bearing brackets 86 that are supported upon the cross beams 53. One of the shafts 58 carries a sprocket wheel 8| and the other shaft carries a sprocket wheel 82. Pairs of hanger bars 83 and 84 are carried by the shaft 58 and have shafts 85 and 86, respectively, journalled in their lower ends (Fig. 5). The shaft 85 carries a sprocket 81, and a chain 88 passes around the sprockets 81 and 8|. A sprocket wheel 89 is secured to the shaft 86, and a sprocket chain 96 passes around the sprocket 89 and the sprocket 82. The shafts 65 and 86 respectively, carry sprocket wheels 9| and 92 which are driven by sprocket chains 93 and 94 respectively, the chains 93 and 94 being in turn driven from the sprocket wheels 95 and 96 respectively. The sprocket wheel 96 is carried by the shaft 26, while the sprocket wheel 95 is carried by a shaft 91. A gear wheel 98 on the shaft 26 meshes with a gear Wheel 99 on the shaft 91, so that the shaft 26 will drive the sprocket chain 96 in a counter-clockwise .direction and the sprocket chain 88 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 5.

The shaft 91 is journalled in spreader bars |6| which are supported by the shaft 26, while the bearing 21 of the shaft 26 is supported upon a stationary cross bar I62, constituting a part of the machine frame. The shaft 86 is similarly supported by a pair of spreader bars I6Ia.

A bracket I63 is rigidly mounted on the cross member I62, and pivotally supports a verticallydisposed cylinder I64, as shown more clearly in Fig. 1. A piston within the cylinder I64 is pivotally connected to a cross bar I65 that is carried by the U-frame 56. Fluid pressure for actuating the piston is supplied from a pump I66, and oil may suitably be employed as a motive fluid. The pump is driven through a sprocket chain drive I61 (Fig. 2), and a shaft I68 having a gear wheel I69 that meshes with the gear wheel 2|. It will be understood that the pump I66 may be of standard form, having a suitable by-pass relief to prevent building up of excessive pressure.

A valve 6 (Fig. 1) is provided for controlling the admission and exhaust of fiuid at the lower end of the cylinder I64. It will be understood that when fluid pressure is admitted to the lower end of the cylinder, the beam 56 will be swung upwardly about its shaft 5|, thus raising the beams 53 and 54 and the parts carried thereby including the conveyers and their drive chains. Vertical movements of the conveyer frame will not interfere with the driving connections shown on Fig. 5, because while the shaft 26 is jourswing about the shaft 26 asan axis. When mov-.

ing from only one tie space to another-tie space,

nalled in a stationary bearing, the spreader bars ml and mm, and the members carriedthereby the conveyer frame need not be lifted so high as when. traveling. It will be understood that when the conveyer frame isin its lowermost position, the conveyer buckets will engage the ballast between the ties. The conveyer frame is guided in its vertical movements by guide blocks III- that are secured to the beams 53 and 54 and have slidable engagement with vertical flanges vformed on the upright truck frame'members II.

nected to legs IIG of a bell crank,-"the bell crank being pivotally connected at- H'Ito the cross beams 54. The legs II8 of the bell crank carry pins II9 which extend through cam-slots I that are formed in links I2I, which are pivotally supported upon brackets I22 that are secured tothe cross beams 54. The lower ends of the links I2I are pivotally connected'to arms 123 of pushers I24. The arms I23 are pivotally supported by hangers or links I25 from the cross beam 53.

positions to their full line positions, thus moving I ballast from the ends of the ties toward the middie of the track. This inward movement'of the pushers is along an inclined plane, which slopesfrom the middle of the track toward the'sides thereof, so that there will be drainage of the roadbed from the middle toward the sides thereof. This movement is accomplished by tilting of the pushers I23 on their supporting links I25.

This tilting movement is effected byreason of the fact that the links I2I are of shorter radius than the links I25,and the relative positions of the axes of the links I2I and I25 are such as to effect the tilting of the pushers as above referred to. Ordinarily the buckets will first be caused to remove the ballast at the middle of the track,

whereupon fluid pressure will be admitted to the cylinders II3 to effect movement ofthe-pushers from their dotted line positions in Fig. 3 to their 5 full line positions. In their latter-named'po sitions, they will assist in directing the 'ballast' into the conveyer bucketsthe middle of the track without the buckets of the other conveyer.

Counterbalancing springs may be employed for connecting the beam" 50 to'the truck frame, to

prevent too abrupt downward movement of the extent. I

The material removed from between the ties and deposited withinthe chutes 'I'I flows downfI58 on theplatform I5! to effect preliminary It will be understood that thejbuckets of each. conveyer are staggered -longitudinally" of th i chains relative to thebuckets on the other chaimi so that the buckets can engage the materialin;

1. Apparatus forremoving ballast'fromrailroad tracks, comprising. a supporting structure, .a pair I of endless conveyers carried by said structure,

, and'movable-between the ties and between the one conveyer interferingwith the buckets-ofwardly into a trough I which is pivotally supported at I 3I'upon bracket arms I32 secured to the'frame members II. .An arm I33 extends rearwardly from the hopper I30 and is pivotally connected to a link I34 that is in turn connected 6 to a link I35. One end of the link I35 is pivotally connected at I36 to the casing22. The

other end of the link I35 has pivotal connection with a rod I31 that has eccentric connection with the shaft" I08, so that as the shaft rotates, the 10 trough- I30 will be vibrated vertically.

The material from the chute 'l'ldrops onto screens I40 in the ends of the'trough, and since the screens slope rearwardly and inwardly, the ballast-will be directed toward the middle of the trough, the cinders and dirt being sifted out and passing downwardly through, spouts I4I.v The transverse portion I42 of the trough slopes downwardly to an opening I43v through the bottom of the trough, andthrough this opening the ballast is discharged into a'spout I44, from whence it falls to the roadbed behind the point at which other material. is being removed for cleaning.

. Since the portion I42 of the trough is of narrower dimension relative to the screens, the material has to pass entirely over the screens before it can enter the intermediate portion of the trough.

The material which passes through the spout I 4| fall upon a transverse belt conveyor I46, by 30 which it is discharged across a chute. I41 to the side of the track. The belt I46 passes around drums journalled in bracket plates I48 which extend transversely of and are carried by the truck frame. The drum at the discharge end of 5 the conveyer is mounted on a shaft I50 which carries a. sprocket wheel I49. A chain I5I passes around the .sprocket wheel and around a sprocket wheel I52, the sprocket I52 being mounted on a shaft which also carries a sprocket I53, around which a chain I54 passes, the chain also passing around a sprocket on the shaft 26.

The chute I41 is journalled on the shaft I50 and can be raised by a rope I55 to permit travel of the truck. e e

The operator will ordinarily stand on a platform I51 at the front of the machine, and through suitable levers or pull rods, will operate the various clutch levers and valves for the cylinders above referred to.

In some instances the ballast and dirt will be so tightly packed or frozen that the buckets will not readilypenetrate and dislodge the same, and I therefore provide a row of pneumatic hammers loosening of the ballast. The compressed air for these'hammers is supplied from the reservoir- 49. The compressor 48 will also be utilized for supplying, air to brake cylinders I60.-

I claim asim'y "invention:

rails, ma common vertical plane disposed trans 'ver'sely of the .track, and means for pushing ballast from points adjacent to the ends of the ties into the :path of the conveyers and guidlast from points adjacent to the ends of the ties into the path of the conveyers and supporting the ballast against displacement from said path, the adjacent runs of the conveyers moving in a downward direction.

3. Apparatus for removing ballast from railroad tracks, comprising a supporting structure, a pair of endless conveyers carried by said structure, and movable in a common vertical plane disposed transversely of the track, means for pushing ballast from points adjacent to the ends of the ties into the path of the conveyers, the adjacent runs of the conveyers moving in a downward direction, and each conveyer having buck ets staggered relative to the buckets on the other conveyer, whereby portions of the buckets on both conveyers can move through a common path.

4. The combination with means for removing ballast from a road bed, of a pusher device movable from one side of the roadbed toward the longitudinal center line thereof, and means for moving said device along an approximately straight path, in a plane which slopes upwardly from the edge of the track toward the middle thereof.

5. The combination with means for removing ballast from between the ties of a railroad track, at points betwen the rails, of pusher devices for removing ballast from points adjacent to the ties toward the said removing means, and means for moving the pusher devices in upwardly inclined planes from points beyond the ends of the ties toward the middle of the track, whereby the roadbed is given a slope to the sides of the track.

6. Apparatus for removing ballast from between the ties of railroad tracks, comprising a main supporting frame, an auxiliary frame carried, thereby, conveyers mounted on the auxiliary frame in position to be moved between the cross ties of the track, pusher members carried by the auxiliary frame in position to engage material adjacent to the edges of the track, means for raising and lowering the auxiliary frame, and means for moving the pushers toward the conveyor to move ballast into the path of said conveyer.

7. Apparatusfor removing ballast from between the ties of railroad tracks, comprising a main supporting frame, an auxiliary frame carried thereby, a pair of conveyers mounted on the auxiliary frame in position to be moved between the cross ties of the track, pusher members carried by the auxiliary frame in position to engage material adjacent to the edges of the track, means for raising and lowering the auxiliary frame, and means for moving the pushers toward the conveyer to move ballast into the path of said conveyer, each conveyer moving in a direction opposite to the movement of an adjacent pusher while receiving a load of the ballast.

8. Apparatus for removing ballast from railroad tracks, comprising a pusher, means for advancing the pusher from a point adjacent to one end of the cross ties and between two cross ties, toward the middle of the track, in a direction generally parallel to the cross ties, a ballast receptacle, means for moving the receptacle in a direction opposed to the said movement of the pusher, for the purpose of receiving the ballast from the pusher when the pusher is in its advanced position, and means for raising the receptacle.

9. Apparatus for removing ballast from railroad tracks, comprising a pair of pushers, means for advancing the pushers from opposite ends of a cross tie toward the middle of the track, ballast receptacles, means for moving said receptacles to points between adjacent cross ties, and each towards one of the pushers, for receiving ballast from the pushers when the pushers are in advanced positions, and means for raising the receptacles.

GEORGE W. HUEY. 

